Bramalea City Centre
Encyclopedia
The Bramalea City Centre is an indoor shopping mall
located in the city of Brampton
, Ontario
, Canada
. With over a million square feet of retail space and more than 280 outlets, it is one of Canada's largest shopping malls
. Regarded as a super regional mall, the Bramalea City Centre has a market of more than 500,000 residents and attracts 12 million visitors annually.
Since opening its doors to the public in the 1970s, the Bramalea City Centre has been an important retail hub for the city of Brampton, pumping hundreds of millions of dollars into the local economy. Extensive renovation and expansion have improved the mall's atmosphere. In 2005, the Bramalea City Centre was congratulated by Brampton's mayor and council for the success of these renovations.
The Bramalea City Centre is located at 25 Peel Centre Drive, near the intersection of Queen Street and Dixie Road. It is just east of Highway 410. Brampton Transit
's Bramalea Terminal
was moved in 2010 from its original site on the southeast side of the mall to a location to the north, to accommodate the Züm
bus rapid transit
service on Queen Street.
An eighty-five acre site, situated in the heart of Bramalea, was designated for mall development. Bramalea Limited, a local real estate developer, began mall construction towards the end of the decade on what was then the largest retail development in North America.
Construction was completed in 1973, as the surrounding landscape experienced rapid change as the result of a population boom. The Bramalea City Centre had its grand opening on March 28, 1973, with 160 outlets—this was only four years after Brampton's first mall, Shoppers World Brampton
, opened its doors in 1969.
Although Bramalea later became part of the city of Brampton during a 1974 amalgamation, the Bramalea City Centre, Brampton's largest mall, retained the name of the original community in which it was built. Mall expansion continued throughout the 1980s and 1990s under Bramalea Limited ownership and operation.
Singer-songwriter Jason Collett
commented on Bramalea City Centre's shady side: "The only real culture was at the Bramalea City Centre before they cleaned it up. It was this centre of drug trade for Ontario, because you could fly small planes into Orangeville, so there was this really cool underbelly, interesting and dangerous. But that's not what the suburbs are supposed to be about, so they cleaned it up."
The Bramalea City Centre was acquired by Canadian real estate firm Morguard Investments Limited in 2002.
In 2004 under the new ownership, the mall underwent a $26 million reconstruction to improve all common areas. The renovation, commencing in February of that year, transformed the mall into a more vibrant, aesthetically pleasing open shopping environment—adding automated kiosks, improved lighting, ceilings, floors, furnishings, increased security, and accessibility for shoppers; the renovation was completed in eight months, a majority of which was done during the night while the mall was closed. Additional renovation projects were carried out in 2005 and 2006, revamping the food court, escalators, and other areas of the mall. Petroff Partnership Architects was in charge of the redesign; construction was carried out by Vanbots Construction. Morguard has spent over $30 million in mall improvements.
A $102 million expansion project is currently underway at the Bramalea City Centre. The 3-year project will create 417292 square feet (38,767.7 m²) of underground parking space, add an additional 323415 square feet (30,046.2 m²) of retail area on two levels, and relocate loading docks and chiller units. As of November 2010, the expansion has been opened to the public, though some tenants are still in the process of moving in.
Shopping mall
A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
located in the city of Brampton
Brampton
Brampton is the third-largest city in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario, Canada.Brampton may also refer to:- Canada :* Brampton, a city in Ontario** Brampton GO Station, a station in the GO Transit network located in the city- United Kingdom :...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. With over a million square feet of retail space and more than 280 outlets, it is one of Canada's largest shopping malls
Canada's largest shopping malls
The following is a list of Canada's largest enclosed shopping malls, ranked by reported total retail floor space, or gross leasable area . In cases where malls have equal area, they are further ranked by number of stores.-See also:...
. Regarded as a super regional mall, the Bramalea City Centre has a market of more than 500,000 residents and attracts 12 million visitors annually.
Since opening its doors to the public in the 1970s, the Bramalea City Centre has been an important retail hub for the city of Brampton, pumping hundreds of millions of dollars into the local economy. Extensive renovation and expansion have improved the mall's atmosphere. In 2005, the Bramalea City Centre was congratulated by Brampton's mayor and council for the success of these renovations.
The Bramalea City Centre is located at 25 Peel Centre Drive, near the intersection of Queen Street and Dixie Road. It is just east of Highway 410. Brampton Transit
Brampton Transit
Brampton Transit is public transport bus operator for the City of Brampton in the Regional Municipality of Peel, and within the Greater Toronto Area in Ontario, Canada. Brampton Transit began operations in 1974....
's Bramalea Terminal
Bramalea Terminal
Brampton Transit - Bramalea Terminal is a bus station serving the community of Bramalea in Brampton, Ontario, Canada. It is located at the south west corner of Peel Centre Drive and Central Park Drive on the north side of the Brampton Civic Centre. The customer service centre building is situated...
was moved in 2010 from its original site on the southeast side of the mall to a location to the north, to accommodate the Züm
Züm
Züm is a bus rapid transit system for the suburban city of Brampton, Ontario, Canada, northwest of Toronto owned and operated by Brampton Transit. The first phase calls for three corridors operating in mixed traffic, similar to York Region Transit's Viva network...
bus rapid transit
Bus rapid transit
Bus rapid transit is a term applied to a variety of public transportation systems using buses to provide faster, more efficient service than an ordinary bus line. Often this is achieved by making improvements to existing infrastructure, vehicles and scheduling...
service on Queen Street.
Major retailers
- The BayThe BayThe Bay is a chain of 91 department stores that operate across parts of Canada. It is the main brand of Hudson's Bay Company , North America's oldest company. It has its headquarters in the Simpson Tower in Toronto. In French, the chain is known as la Baie, short for "Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson"...
(131,438 sq ft (12,211 m²)) - Best BuyBest BuyBest Buy Co., Inc. is an American specialty retailer of consumer electronics in the United States, accounting for 19% of the market. It also operates in Mexico, Canada & China. The company's subsidiaries include Geek Squad, CinemaNow, Magnolia Audio Video, Pacific Sales, and, in Canada operates...
(31,108 sq ft (2,890 m²)) - Metro (63,809 sq ft (5,928 m²))
- Old NavyOld NavyOld Navy is an American clothing brand as well as a chain of stores owned by Gap, Inc., with corporate operations in San Francisco and San Bruno, California. It is one of the first major corporations to house headquarters in the new Mission Bay district of San Francisco.Gap, Inc. was run by...
(21,010 sq ft (1,952 m²)) - FreshCoSobeysSobeys is the second largest food retailer in Canada, with over 1,300 supermarkets operating under a variety of banners. Headquartered in Stellarton, Nova Scotia, it operates stores in all ten provinces and accumulated sales of more than $14 billion CAD in 2009...
(25,989 sq ft (2,414 m²)) - SearsSears CanadaSears Canada Inc. is a retailer, headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, that operates in all provinces and territories across Canada with a network of 196 corporate stores, 195 dealer stores, 38 home improvement showrooms, 108 Sears Travel offices and a nationwide home maintenance, repair, and...
(157,156 sq ft (14,600 m²)) - Sport ChekSport ChekSport Chek is the largest Canadian retailers of sporting clothing, sports equipment and equipment destroy, with stores across Canada...
(22,512 sq ft (2,091 m²)) - ZellersZellersZellers Inc. is Canada's second-largest chain of mass merchandise discount stores, with locations in communities across Canada. A subsidiary of the Hudson's Bay Company , it has 273 locations across the country....
(120,815 sq ft (11,224 m²))
Development
In the 1960s, when Bramalea existed as an independent town, area planners implemented a masterplan to oversee local development. Included in this masterplan was a series of residential areas, industrial development, open parks, and amongst other things, a central shopping centre.An eighty-five acre site, situated in the heart of Bramalea, was designated for mall development. Bramalea Limited, a local real estate developer, began mall construction towards the end of the decade on what was then the largest retail development in North America.
Construction was completed in 1973, as the surrounding landscape experienced rapid change as the result of a population boom. The Bramalea City Centre had its grand opening on March 28, 1973, with 160 outlets—this was only four years after Brampton's first mall, Shoppers World Brampton
Shoppers World, Brampton
Shoppers World Brampton is a shopping mall in Brampton, Ontario, Canada. Now 40 years old, it was at one point in the 1970s Canada's top selling mall, per square foot...
, opened its doors in 1969.
Although Bramalea later became part of the city of Brampton during a 1974 amalgamation, the Bramalea City Centre, Brampton's largest mall, retained the name of the original community in which it was built. Mall expansion continued throughout the 1980s and 1990s under Bramalea Limited ownership and operation.
New ownership & renovation
Construction timeline |
|
| 1973: Mall and convenience centre opens to the public | |
| 1981: Second floor of mall, food court Food court A food court is generally an indoor plaza or common area within a facility that is contiguous with the counters of multiple food vendors and provides a common area for self-serve dining. Food courts may be found in shopping malls and airports, and in various regions may be a standalone development... , and public entrances completed |
|
| 1991: Brampton Transit Brampton Transit Brampton Transit is public transport bus operator for the City of Brampton in the Regional Municipality of Peel, and within the Greater Toronto Area in Ontario, Canada. Brampton Transit began operations in 1974.... 's Bramalea Transit Centre opened, lower parking lot on south side renovated to provide more spaces, with removal of all buses, and safe walkway to Transit Centre. |
|
| 2004: Full renovation of all common areas | |
| 2005/2006: Additional renovation of common space; installation of new escalators | |
Singer-songwriter Jason Collett
Jason Collett
Jason Collett is a Toronto based singer-songwriter. He has released four solo albums, and is a member of Broken Social Scene. His latest album, Rat a Tat Tat, was released in March, 2010.-Early life:...
commented on Bramalea City Centre's shady side: "The only real culture was at the Bramalea City Centre before they cleaned it up. It was this centre of drug trade for Ontario, because you could fly small planes into Orangeville, so there was this really cool underbelly, interesting and dangerous. But that's not what the suburbs are supposed to be about, so they cleaned it up."
The Bramalea City Centre was acquired by Canadian real estate firm Morguard Investments Limited in 2002.
In 2004 under the new ownership, the mall underwent a $26 million reconstruction to improve all common areas. The renovation, commencing in February of that year, transformed the mall into a more vibrant, aesthetically pleasing open shopping environment—adding automated kiosks, improved lighting, ceilings, floors, furnishings, increased security, and accessibility for shoppers; the renovation was completed in eight months, a majority of which was done during the night while the mall was closed. Additional renovation projects were carried out in 2005 and 2006, revamping the food court, escalators, and other areas of the mall. Petroff Partnership Architects was in charge of the redesign; construction was carried out by Vanbots Construction. Morguard has spent over $30 million in mall improvements.
2010 Expansion
See also
- BramptonBramptonBrampton is the third-largest city in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario, Canada.Brampton may also refer to:- Canada :* Brampton, a city in Ontario** Brampton GO Station, a station in the GO Transit network located in the city- United Kingdom :...
, OntarioOntarioOntario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa.... - List of shopping malls in Canada
- Canada's largest shopping mallsCanada's largest shopping mallsThe following is a list of Canada's largest enclosed shopping malls, ranked by reported total retail floor space, or gross leasable area . In cases where malls have equal area, they are further ranked by number of stores.-See also:...